Military Initiatives
Military initiatives are the third and final initiative category. Unlike Civilian and Government initiatives, who on focus building support among the population, military initiatives solely focus on your fighting force, using an international Coalition and a National Army in order to combat the Insurgent. Infantry Branch The most important branch in the category, infantry intiatives let you recruit and equip frontline soldiers to combat the insurgent. There are two types of soldiers: Coalition and National. Coalition soldiers have access to modern equipment, have fast training speed, movement speed and are very effective in combat, but they only have a temporary tour of duty and are likely to antagonise locals. These factors make the Coalition a good starting force to combat the Insurgency while National Soldiers are training. Conversely, National Soldiers are slow to train and weak in the early game, with a slow movement speed and mediocre combat capability. They can however be improved by funding military upgrades, making them increasingly capable of taking insurgents head-on as the game progresses. Long-term victory depends on the National soldiers, especially in Brutal difficulty. * Deploy Coalition Soldiers 1 - Request temporary deployment of an international Coalition Soldiers unit (blue colour). Fast and effective in combat, but can antagonize local population. * Deploy Coalition Soldiers 2: Additionnal Coalition soldiers can be recruited for $ at no Reputation penalty. They become increasingly expensive as you move further in the tree. * Deploy Coalition Soldiers 3 * Deploy Coalition Soldiers 4 * Deploy Coalition Soldiers 5: The final Coalition soldier that can be recruited. * Deploy National Soldiers 1 - Slowly train a permanent National Soldier unit (green colour). Slower and weaker than Coalition soldiers but much less likely to antagonize locals. * Deploy National Soldiers 2 * National Travel Logistics - Provide four-wheel vehicles and personnel carriers for National Soldiers, enabling them to move more efficienctly accross more difficult terrain. Increases National Soldiers' movement speed and combat strength: An important upgrade that increases the speed of National Soldiers. This corrects one of their most serious early game weakness: their very slow movement speed. * Deploy National Soldiers 3 * National Arms Upgrade - Retire National soldiers' aging equipment and replace it with modern equivalents. Significantly increases National soldiers' combat strength: the second National soldiers upgrade, it makes them more capable of fighting the Insurgent in direct combat. * Deploy National Soldiers 4 * Anti-IED Vehicle Upgrades - Provide National soldiers with heavily armored vehicles, such as MRAPs, to better protect them against ambushes and Improvised Explosive Devices. Significantly increases National Soldiers strength: the last National soldiers upgrade. A fully upgraded soldier is quite capable of fighting insurgents in their mountain refuges. Garrison Branch Garrisons are outposts manned by National soldiers that block off insurgent escape routes provied supply or reinforcements to soldiers engaged in battle. They are your most important military asset due to their ability to funnel the insurgents into "killing grounds", where enemies can be surrounded and captured by relatively few soldiers. * Garrisons - Authorise construction of Garrisons in zones with intel. Suitable locations will be identified over time. Garrisons provide Intel and combat support to nearby soldiers: After funding this initiative, decisions offering a Garrison will occasionnally appear in a province around your soldiers. This costs a bit of money, but Garrisons play such an important role that they should always be built. * Security Checkpoint - Garrisons set up fortified checkpoints around the zone to detect and hinder enemy activity. Improves zone security, making it harder for insurgents to take control: Although Garrisons will block insurgent escape route, they do not protect the zone from direct attacks. If the zone falls under Insurgent control, the Garrison will be under attack and quickly destroyed. This initiative delays the Insurgent local takeover, giving you more time to send reinforements. * Civil Support - Garrison forces integrate with local communities and help give a sense of security by guardind public areas such as markets and government buildings. Increases local Support Level in zones with a Garrison: This initiative is not particularly useful in a typical game, as it comes fairly late and garrisons are too random to be included in a Stabilization plan. Still, the effect is permanent and the initiative is cheap. * Combat Reinforcements - Have Garrisons liaise with deployed soldiers to reinforce them during combat situations. Significantly increases combat bonuses that soldiers receive from Garrisons: an important upgrade. Most serious battles will take place around a Garrison, this initiative will often provide a helpful boost Coalition and National soldiers alike. The bonus from multiple Garrisons stacks. Interpreters Branch * Interpreters & Guides - Embed interpreters and local guides within each soldier unit to help them communicate with local communities. Soldiers gather Intel quicker and increase local Support Level: a must-pick initiative, unless Regional Census has been funded in the Government category. Soldiers without proper Intel are weaker in combat and cannot block insurgent escape, leaving them stuck and blind in hostile territory. * Human Terrain System - Embed experts in local anthropology, religious concerns, and political science within each soldier unit. Soldiers gather Intel quicker. Coalition soldiers become much less likely to antagonise locals: Usually not worth the money. This initiative does not help soldiers increase local Support Level, and Interpreters is good enough as far as Intel collection by soldiers is concerned. * Civil Assistance - Allow soldiers to help out local communities when not engaged in combat or gathering Intel. Soldiers help roll out Initiatives and increase local Support Level. Only useful if you plan a total victory, as a opposed to negotiating a favorable peace deal. * Civil Integration - Order soldiers to assist local workers with equiment, power and resources where it is the most needed. Soldiers help roll out Initiatives and increase local Support Level. As above. This Initiative is only useful when aiming for total victory, either by accelerating the stabilization of the most distant regions, or secure additionnal supporters for the final score. Drones Branch * Surveillance Drones * Combat Sensors * Fuel and Endurance * Rapid Drone Rotation Airstrikes Branch * Airstrikes * Rapid Air Rotation * Rapid Air Rotation 2 * Heavy Ordnance * Precision Munitions 1 * Precision Munitions 2